The Wolf and The Doe
by chioocheep
Summary: His warm blue eyes locked with her stormy blue eyes. The swords were drawn and the duel was just beginning. The arrogant, cocky and occasionally violent Rickon Stark is betrothed to the warm, gentle but intelligent Shireen Baratheon. Rated M for later sexual and mature content.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- The Broken Past

Rickon Stark woke up to the sound of loud pounding on the wooden door that separated his room from the rest of the castle. The warm body nestled next to him stirred a little and Rickon felt some of last night's desire for the woman next to him in his groin. But the angry pounding clearly indicated that they were more important matters at hand to be handled by the heir to Winterfell.

Bran had married Meera Reed three years ago in the newly planted godswood with sapling trees surrounding them. Rickon wondered whether they had a problem copulating due to Bran's disability. Whatever may be the problem, if Bran were to die today, Rickon would become the lord of Winterfell. Bran had constantly been pressurizing him to find a wife but Rickon clearly did not wish to be tied down.

Rickon softly kissed the tangled mane of the tavern whore sharing his bed. He would have to ask one of the servants to remove her from the castle as discreetly as possible. Arya and Bran were not too fond of his whoring habits.

Arya and Bran had been exceptionally close to their father, the late Lord Stark. Rickon just had glimpses of memories with both his parents. He could not even visualize their faces probably. The only true family he had was Bran, Meera, Arya, Jon and obviously Osha, the wildling woman who had risked her life for so many years to keep him out of the hands of the Boltons.

Rickon pulled on last night's tunic and breeches and proceeded to open the door. He stood in front of the door in such a way that the person who had knocked on the door would not be able to see his bed and the lady who occupied it.

A very angry and flustered Arya Stark stood behind the door. Arya had bloomed into a womanly figure in the past few years but she still preferred manly clothes that made sword fighting an easier activity than it would have been in a lady's dress.

But today she was wearing a dress which showed her husband's colors. His younger sister wore a black dress with golden cuffs. Her hair was tied into a braid. Behind her stood his dire wolf, Shaggydog, clearly agitated at his owner for being separated from him for such a long time. Rickon locked him in the stables when he had a whore in his bed. Shaggydog would scare all feminine company away from him.

"You have a whore is your bed! On today of all the days!" Arya shouted at him jabbing a finger into his hard chest.

"Big sister, what is the problem?" Rickon asked leaning against the door, a cocky smile plastered across his face.

"Shireen Baratheon is to arrive any moment and you aren't even dressed!" Arya continued barking.

"Shireen Baratheon?" Rickon asked a confused look creeping onto his handsome face.

"Bran told you a month ago. Maybe if you didn't spend so much time whoring and mingling with the wildlings, you would actually have a clue about what is going on in the castle!" Arya huffed at him.

"But what am I to do with Shireen Baratheon?" An exasperated Rickon asked his increasingly irritated sister.

"She is to marry you, you empty headed bog!" Arya said trying to remain calm. He could see her hand was itching to slap his face.

"What's all the shouting?" A deep voice interrupted them.

Rickon peeked out of the room to see Gendry Baratheon, his good brother approaching his room. Gendry was a calm man who rarely got angry. Rickon wondered how he controlled his wildfire sister. He was built like a bull and was said to be the spitting image of the late King Robert Baratheon.

Upon the downfall of Lannisters at the hands of the dragon queen, Gendry and his half-brother Edric had been legitimized. Gendry being the older of the two was set to inherit Storm's End but he allowed his brother Edric to inherit the seat upon Stannis' death.

Gendry worked in the forgery of Winterfell. He wed Arya with Bran's blessings and to Rickon's interested eye it looked as if his sister was expecting her third child.

"Are Eddard and Catelyn ready?" Arya impatiently asked her husband. Arya looked like a midget in front of her towering husband but was never intimidated by his larger size.

"They are dear. Bran sent me to see whether or not Rickon was ready. Which he clearly is not." Gendry said running a calloused hand through his raven black hair.

"By seven hells Rickon, get yourself ready. Shireen Baratheon will be here in an hour's time." Gendry said with a stern tone to his voice. He took the hand of his wife and walked off down the hall.

If there was anything that Rickon missed about living in the Wall with his half- brother now cousin, Jon Snow was the freedom. Jon never put too many restrictions on him. He would allow Rickon to mingle with the wildling folk saying that it was beneficial if the wildlings were to be accepted into the larger society of the seven kingdoms. When he began to develop into a man at the age of thirteen, he lost his virginity to a spear wife who was at least three years older than him. In wildling culture, there was no clear concept of marriage as a sacred bond between two individuals. The simple rule was that more the women a man slept with, more powerful he would seem.

Rickon clearly remembered Shireen Baratheon. A shy, timid creature who was a few years older than him. Due to her grey scale, no one talked to her out of the fear of being cursed. But Jon treated her like his own younger sister and soon even Rickon found himself warming up to the Baratheon heiress.

When Shireen got to know that Rickon was sleeping around with wildling women, she was deeply angered and refused to talk to him. But the animosity between the two did not last for long for a year after Rickon had lain with his first woman, the dragon queen arrived. The dragon queen had provided all the lords with the same choice. They could either bend the knee or burn in the fires emitted by her dragons. Stannis saw this as a chance to gain the upper hand and was the first lord to pledge his loyalty to the Queen. Since Bran was believed to be dead at that point of time, Jon declared Rickon at age fourteen the new lord of Winterfell. Rickon bent his knee to the beautiful Queen Daenerys and even had the pleasure of sharing her bed. When Jon found out about his escapades with the Queen, he angrily rebuffed his cousin and lectured him on the honor of the North. Rickon after that stopped his nightly visits to the Queen and morphed himself into one of her most trusted commanders.

"You aren't a bit like father, Robb, Bran or me. You are like father's older brother, Brandon Stark. An excellent and violent warrior with a weak spot for ravishing women." Jon had said to him one night before they were to lay siege to King's Landing.

Shaggydog walked into Rickon's room and sniffed around. As soon as he caught the scent of the whore, he barred his fangs.

"Sit Shaggydog." Rickon commanded. Other than Rickon, Shireen was the only other person who could control the black terror. Shaggydog would be looking forward to seeing her.

The dire wolf obediently sat down but shot daggers at the still sleeping body in his bed.

Rickon shook the whore who was clearly not use to waking up early.

"My lord.." She began in a murmur.

Rickon pulled out a copper coin from his purse and tossed it at her.

"Get out of here before anyone sees you." He ordered her harshly.

A look of fright crept over her sensual face. She grabbed the coin and quickly began to dress herself.

 **(*)**

Dark nightmares of the past flooded Shireen's conscious as she made herself to the castle that called itself Winterfell. It certainly lacked the charm and appeal of the previous Winterfell which had been burnt to the ground but served as a protected fortress to secure his occupants.

Shireen had mixed feelings about spending the next month trying to court the wolfish Rickon Stark. He had been one of the first persons to accept her with her greyscale. He was her first playmate after her cousin, Edric who was now the lord at Storm's End. Shireen had developed a liking for the tough and violent yet loving Rickon but her admiration for him took a drastic change when she discovered that he had been whoring with wildling women. Shireen's heart was used to being broken but she was not use to betrayal from people who she trusted and loved.

Shireen had been equally hurt when she overheard some servants of the dragon queen talking about Rickon's nightly visits to the queen. But Shireen could never truly hate the silver haired Queen.

"You remind me of Missandei." Daenerys had told her one day as Shireen was telling her about King's Landing.

"Who is that?" Shireen had quizzically asked her.

"She was the smartest girl I had ever met and one of my most trusted advisors. Sadly I left her behind." Daenerys reminisced.

Shireen's horse was struggling to trudge through the snow. The southern horse was not use to such weather and was whimpering occasionally. Shireen in reply would whisper sweet encouragements into his ear.

Riding next to her was her father's closest ally, Davos Seaworth. Davos Seaworth was a decorated hero of the war and was instrumental in winning several naval battles for the dragon queen. The dragon queen had personally invited him to head the navy at King's Landing but he had declined stating that he would always serve Storm's End till his death.

The onion knight is what many men still called him. Shireen found it annoying that after Davos had done so much for her father and the dragon queen, people still reminded him of his wicked past and how he smuggled onions.

"Lord Brandon informed me that he would send out two riders to greet us." Davos said to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder as a sign of paternal affection.

Just as he completed his sentence, two riders could be seen riding towards them. Their horses were clearly accustomed to such weather as they were practically galloping in the deep snow.

But to Shireen's surprise, a black wolf like creature could be seen approaching with them. On closer inspection, she recognized the handsome face of Rickon Stark. He had the Tully features which he had inherited from his mother. His auburn hair cascaded till his shoulder and blue eyes that reminded Shireen of the warm southern seas. But his face was sharp like his father's.

"My lord, we were not expecting you to ride out for us." Davos began once Rickon had reached them.

"I had to greet my betrothed." He answered, the same cocky smile decorating his chiseled face.

"Hello Rickon." Shireen said.

Rickon locked his blue eyes with her stormy blue ones. Swords were drawn and the duel was just about to begin.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter- First Encounters

It had been two years since Rickon had last seen Shireen. She had not changed much. Her hair had grown a little longer and cascaded till her elbows. Her blue eyes reminded Rickon of storms on the lonely sea. Her grey scale decorated her cheek. If anything, she looked a little happier.

"Lady Shireen." He said while bending his knee. He took her fair hand in his rough one and gently kissed it.

If circumstances were different, Rickon would have wed the dragon queen or one of the many wildling women he had bedded. He liked his women aggressive and ferocious. Shireen was strong but not in the way that inspired fear and respect in others. She was simply strong because she had built an impassable barrier between herself and the rest of the world. Only a few individuals such as Ser Davos and Edric had been able to climb over the wall and into Shireen's heart.

Shireen looked at him with a blank expression. But her eyes told a different story. They spoke of being hurt and being abandoned.

"Ser Davos, welcome." Rickon said curtly greeting the older man. Ser Davos obviously did not trust his Shireen with something as violent as me, Rickon thought.

"Lord Rickon, Lady Shireen and I accept your welcome." Davos answered coldly before bowing down to Rickon.

"We better get going before we get caught in the storm." Rickon told them both. His years with the wildlings had taught him to keenly observe the different signs of nature. The slight change in the wind could be taken as an indication of the approaching storm.

Ser Davos helped Shireen up her horse before boarding his own horse. Rickon jumped onto his stallion and told the guard who had accompanied him to lead the way.

The ride was awkwardly quiet. No words were exchanged among the members of the party. Rickon found the entire exercise highly boring. He would have preferred to use his time in chasing after wilding women or hunting in the thick forests that surrounded Winterfell with Shaggy.

Speaking of Shaggy, Shaggy could not hide his excitement at the sight of Shireen and had nearly pounced on her before Rickon held him back with a stern order. His dire wolf was now walking between his and Shireen's horses, keeping a much needed distance between the two.

It wasn't a long ride and Rickon felt greatly relieved once it was over. He looked forward to a long, hot water bath before the feast in honor of Shireen in the late evening.

Bran had personally come out in this bitter cold to greet Shireen. He was comfortably seated in his horse and his dire wolf, Summer stood next to the horse to guard him against any attacks.

"Lady Shireen, it is always a great pleasure to welcome you to Winterfell." Bran politely said as the party arrived at the gates.

Bran felt that the Stark family was still in debt to Stannis Baratheon for the measures he had gone to during the war to secure the North for the Starks. Rickon found the praise a little too much and tried to remind Bran that it was his leaderships and fighting skills which had finally united the North and not Stannis' over rated diplomacy.

"Lord Brandon." Shireen replied nodding her head.

"Ser Davos, you must stay until the storm has passed by. You are welcome to stay here as long as necessary." Bran stated extending the invitation to the onion knight.

"My lord, my most gracious thanks." Ser Davos said bending his head in respect.

Bran led the party into the courtyard of the castle.

Gendry was waiting near the stable. He was most probably here to help Bran off his horse. Rickon cringed about the fact that Shireen and Davos would have to see his brother's weakness. But Davos and Shireen did not appear to look disgusted. Ser Davos had a look of sympathy. Well in Rickon's opinion the sympathy and pity was worse than the disgust. It was as if people thought that his brother was a lesser man because of his disability.

Shireen climbed off her horse with an ease that Rickon had only seen in Arya among ladies in the past.

Gendry put Bran onto the wooden chair that Bran had constructed specifically for himself. The wooden wheels on the chair allowed him to control his own movements and he thus did not require anyone to carry him around like a doll.

Gendry walked ahead with Bran and Ser Davos tagged along with them. Gendry was asking Ser Davos about Storm's End and Ser Davos was providing polite yet friendly answers.

Shireen was feeding oats to her horse. Now that was a servant's job. Rickon wondered why she felt that it was her duty to feed her horse.

"You know the servants can do it later." Rickon reminded her.

"I prefer to feed my horse myself." Shireen replied avoiding eye contact with him.

"I was instructed to show you your quarters by my lord brother.' Rickon said. He did not want to waste any more time with her. She was being cold and unresponsive and Rickon simply did not have the patience to deal with an angry doe.

'Let me finish feeding my horse. Rickon, they say that a wise man just does not need cunning and strength. He must also have patience." Shireen replied. Her eyes were suddenly alight with a playful jest.

"My lady seems to think that she is already my wife and therefore has the right to order me around." Rickon said, his cocky and wolfish grin appearing on his face.

Rickon grabbed her hand. Shireen had a look of shock on her face at the sudden contact. He suddenly wondered whether those pink lips of her had ever been kissed by anyone.

"Come on, my lady; let me show you to your room." Rickon said.

Shireen quickly finished feeding her horse. Her hand was still in Rickon's hand as they walked out.

(*)

"The queen is worried." Shireen said to Bran. Lord Brandon had invited Shireen to the library before their dinner. Accompanying him was his wife Meera Stark.

"Why is she worried?" Lady Stark asked suddenly talking her husband's hand in hers.

"She has not yet been able to conceive an heir for King Aegon." Shireen replied silently.

"The King and Queen have been married for only two years. Sometimes it takes some time." Lord Brandon said. He stole a quick glance at his wife's stomach. Shireen had heard how Lord Brandon and his wife were struggling to have a child.

"Yes but currently the Targaryen throne has no other heirs." Shireen whispered.

"So if the King were to die today, there would be another war." Lord Brandon said. A look of panic crossed his normally calm face. He tightened the grip around his wife's hand.

"The peace is very fragile at the moment. It has been rumored that Lord Tyrion is having problems controlling the liege lords who work under him. "Shireen stated anxiously.

"Lord Tyrion was very kind to me once. He helped me build the saddle which I use for riding after I had fallen from the castle window. Bran said. "I would not like it if any harm were to come to the poor man."

"This just reminds us how crucial a Stark and Baratheon alliance is at the moment." Lady Stark replied.

"Yes it does." Shireen said with a tone of regret and sadness to her voice.

(*)

A long wooden table had been placed in the hall. It was covered with a satin table cloth. Copper glasses and plates covered the table.

Lord Brandon sat at the center of the table with Lady Stark to his right. Shireen found herself with Rickon to her right and Lady Arya Baratheon, her good cousin to her left.

"So how is Storm's End?" Lady Arya asked her. Lady Arya was trying to engage in small talk with Shireen to make her feel comfortable but Shireen simply wished to crawl back to Storm's End.

"It's doing well. My cousin, Edric has picked up where by father had left off. He is making sure that all the liege lords and his subjects are kept happy." Shireen replied.

"You are boring poor Lady Shireen with your talk, sister." Rickon said rather rudely to his sister.

Arya lightly punched Rickon's shoulder. Shireen backed away from Lady Arya's out stretched hand. Lord Brandon shot a look of disapproval at his siblings.

"I'm sorry, Lady Shireen but my dear brother here Rickon needs to learn how to control his mouth. I hope you are able to finally shut it up for good." Arya said to Shireen with a playful look on her face.

"Lady Arya you are the mother of two children and you act like one yourself." Rickon retorted.

Arya and Rickon were both surprised when Shireen began to laugh.

"Who knew that she could laugh?" Rickon mumbled with a small grin on his perfectly carved face.

(*)

Rickon had ridden out alone after a hearty meal. His brother had strictly barred him from bringing in whores in the castle now that Lady Shireen was here with them but he had not said anything about fucking them in the whore house itself.

Rickon had to admit that Shireen had surprised him to some extent. She certainly smiled and laughed more than she did when they were together at the Wall. Shireen also talked more and had gladly accepted Arya's invite to show her around the castle the next morning.

Rickon walked into the whore house when the sky was perfectly black. The storm had left a heavy layer of snow but his years as the Wall and with the wildlings had taught Rickon a thing or two about riding in the snow.

The whore house was quiet and the only noise was of a child weeping. Presumably it was the child of one of the whores. The matron of whore house greeted her only customer for the night and led him in.

"Two women tonight, Jenna." He ordered the matron.

For some reason he had been deeply aroused by seeing Shireen. True a lot of people avoided her due to her grey scale. But to Rickon that simply made her more enduring. Her hands were as soft new spun silk and her eyes made Rickon want get lost in them.

Jenna led him to the bedroom where the customers were serviced in the whore house.

The two women walked in. To Rickon's displeasure none of them looked like his betrothed.

But then both women striped and soon he forgot about his wanting for Shireen.


End file.
